Key result
Handheld echocardiography detects post-MI left ventricular thrombus, guiding anticoagulation therapy.
Why the study?
The appropriate clinical scope of handheld echocardiography remains controversial and lacks prognosis-altering applications in the literature.
Does handheld echocardiography (HHE) improve the detection of left ventricular thrombus in patients post-myocardial infarction?
Case Report (n=1)
No
Does handheld echocardiography (HHE) improve the detection of left ventricular thrombus in patients post-myocardial infarction?
Handheld echocardiography can be a valuable tool for detecting clinically significant findings like LV thrombus that may be missed on standard imaging.
HHE may detect LV thrombus post-STEMI; leaves open its diagnostic role and clinical utility pending validation studies.
Handheld echocardiography (HHE) is an emerging technology with potential to alter routine clinical practice. Our institution has adopted the use of HHE devices for both teaching and patient care. However, the appropriate clinical scope of HHE continues to be controversial, and the literature is largely devoid of prognosis-altering applications. We report the diagnosis of left ventricular (LV) thrombus with HHE. A 75-year-old man presented with a large anteroapical ST-elevation myocardial infarction (MI). Initial transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) after percutaneous intervention showed no LV thrombus. Before his hospital discharge, HHE was performed and showed LV thrombus. The finding substantially changed the patient's treatment and prognosis; he was discharged with warfarin. This observation will help guide further inquiry into the proper clinical role of HHE.
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Shamoun et al. (2015) conducted a case report in ST-elevation myocardial infarction with left ventricular thrombus (n=1). Handheld echocardiography (HHE) vs. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) was evaluated on Diagnosis of left ventricular thrombus. Handheld echocardiography successfully identified a left ventricular thrombus in a 75-year-old man post-myocardial infarction, altering his treatment to include warfarin.
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